| Uzbekistan
The Exotic Central Asian Center of Bukharan Jewry |
 |
| A visit to Uzbekistan is a novel experience for westerners, although strange to our tongues and foreign to our western customs. This is due to the relatively unknown history of the area's people, and specifically, the Bukharan Jewish culture.
In the heart of Central Asia, bordering on Afghanistan and not far from Iran, China and India, Uzbekistan has been home for centuries to Bukharan Jews and their unique culture. It is believed that they came to the area from Babylonia and the Persian Empire.
|  |
 | Speaking Judaeo-Tajik and clinging to their religious traditions, Bukharan Jews resisted assimilation even under the Soviets. While most have emigrated recently to Israel and the United States, the traveler can still observe their culture and heritage, alongside the beautiful Muslim edifices of Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent. |
|
Our itinerary includes all three cities and the fascinating Uzbek countryside in between them. We also visit the Ashkenazic community in Tashkent, formed largely by refugees and deportees of the 1940s and their descendants.
|
 
|
